Experts are divided as to the number of marketing messages consumers are exposed to on a daily basis; some say over 3,000 while others have recently claimed that it is closer to 10,000. Whatever the number, marketing ‘noise’ has become significant enough that standing out and grabbing a meaningful amount of mindshare has become the most challenging task for marketers today.

This barrage of information means that captivating consumers and generating loyalty is more challenging than it has ever been. However, as comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, “This whole idea of an attention span is, I think, a misnomer. People have an infinite attention span if you are entertaining them.”

Therefore, it is no longer enough for a casino to provide wonderful ambience, high-quality games and a strong brand. Engaging consumers all the time, whether they are playing or not, is what makes the difference between a player with a short attention span for your brand and a loyal one that keeps that same brand top of mind.

What Happens After a Player Plays?

Casinos are incredibly adept at providing a thrilling guest experience. Bright lights, sounds, friendly service, attractions, and the chance of winning the jackpot make for a unique value proposition matched by few entertainment options. Unfortunately, when players leave, the exhilaration dissipates all too quickly. Players return to their busy lives and are bombarded with those thousands of advertisements from other organizations.

As a result, the memory of the casino experience quickly fades. Players move on, usually without a defined plan for their next interaction with the property, or worse, a plan to try another property or some other form of entertainment next time.

Rewarding players with after-the-fact benefits such as points and tier levels used to work, but the current marketing landscape has changed that. In fact, a recent study by Accenture demonstrated that consumers are actively interested in only about 20 per cent of the traditional loyalty programs to which they belong.Expanding the Battleground

No matter how prevalent a casino might be in a player’s life, they still spend just a fraction of their time at the facility itself. Consequently, an incredible opportunity exists for any casino organization that can augment the on-site stimulation of a high-quality gaming environment to an ‘always engaging,’ immersive and branded experience off-site. This approach allows the savvy casino organization to compete for that elusive attention span at an entirely different level away from the casino. Results show that players reward this ‘always engaging’ strategy with unmatched loyalty, regularly helping the casinos that pursue it to achieve returns on investment in excess of 500 per cent annually.

Although numerous techniques exist to always engage players, some of the ones that contribute to the highest ROI are:

Full-featured online/mobile loyalty portal: Players expect entertainment from casino brands. Why should the fun end at the door? Providing a destination that allows them to continue their interaction in different, non-transactional ways is key to keeping them truly engaged and loyal.

Active data-driven personalization: Casino staff make players feel individually important at the casino property. Leading loyalty providers ensure that each player is provided with information that is relevant to them and respects their tier/activity level so as to drive visits.

Contests/sweepstakes and quick-play games: Casinos offer games of chance. Simple, relevant and branded online contests or sweepstakes using quick-play games provide a terrific way for players to interact with the casino brand from their online devices wherever they happen to be. Branded games can also be used to advertise new casino features, or upcoming events.

Entertainment Reinvented

Casinos will always compete for players by offering great in-casino experiences. However, those that stand out and captivate players on an ongoing basis away from the casino will find that their ability to compete for player attention spans is redefined.

Always engaging with players through innovative extensions of the casino experience off-site gives these organizations an unfair advantage in the ongoing battle for mindshare. The result is a redefinition of the overall entertainment a casino provides their players, and a greater share of that ever-elusive consumer entertainment dollar in the process.

Patrick Watson, CEO of SplashDot, has been immersed within the gaming loyalty industry for well over a decade. He has worked with casinos, lotteries and private sector organizations to craft unique and leading-edge strategies that have resulted in significant paradigm shifts in the loyalty realm. For more information, visit www.splashdot.com